A group of stakeholders connected to the aquaculture sector in Portugal met at the World Café “Aquaculture for the Future We Want” to discuss and propose actions to boost the sustainability, competitiveness, and diversification of the sector. In a total of five roundtables and five question-and-answer sessions in the areas of sustainability and animal welfare; licensing; competitiveness and investment; communication; and science and innovation, more than 60 concrete actions were proposed for the transformation of national aquaculture.

The meeting, held at the Setúbal Hotel School on May 26th, was attended by representatives of companies, research and development centers, and various key stakeholders in the sector. The main objective of the World Café, part of the XXIII Congress of the Portuguese Aquaculture Association (APA), was to identify and discuss the transformations necessary to boost the industry, as well as to propose concrete actions that contribute to its development.

The World Café is a methodology for dialogue and participation that promotes collaboration and the exchange of ideas among participants. In an informal and learning environment, participants have the opportunity to circulate among discussion tables and, with the support of moderators, debate different topics, proposing concrete actions. This dynamic allows for the sharing of ideas and the collective construction of a common vision, in an environment where all opinions have equal value.

During the World Café, five discussion tables were organized to address different subtopics relevant to aquaculture in Portugal. Participants debated and proposed a total of 62 actions aimed at addressing the challenges and opportunities faced by the sector.

At the end, participants voted on the actions they considered most important. By topic, these are the ones that received the most votes:

→ Sustainability, environmental and economic performance, animal health and welfare:

▪ Create tax incentives for the adoption of greener resources and tax incentives for compliant companies;

▪ Communicate broadly to various audiences about production methods and product origin;

▪ Invest in more sustainable, local, and functional ingredients in animal feed.

→ Licensing, land use planning, and regulatory and administrative framework:

▪ Create an interlocutor body to expedite, monitor, and support companies;

▪ Review and organize the land to ensure a better characterization of production areas in relation to investment size, potential species to be produced, environmental carrying capacity, and accessibility;

▪ Train the human/technical resources of public entities responsible for licensing.

→ Competitiveness, investment, diversification, certification, and added value

▪ Invest in processing (filleting, packaging, presentation);

▪ Invest in differentiating the national offer through quality seals;

▪ Invest in market research.

→ Communication and social acceptance

▪ Include educational content about aquaculture in the school environment;

▪ Create product labels with more information beyond just the country of production;

▪ Invest in media communication.

→ Science and Innovation

▪ Create a database that fosters partnerships between R&D institutions and industry;

▪ Conduct technical visits by researchers to aquaculture facilities;

▪ Hold seminars/congresses to disseminate results to academia, R&D institutions, and industry.

The results reflect the commitment of the various actors in the Brazilian aquaculture sector to promote sustainability and competitiveness and will be integrated into a more comprehensive document on the current state of the sector, not only from the perspective of producers, but also taking into account the perceptions of government officials, consumers, the general public, the scientific community, and environmental associations.

The World Café “Aquaculture for the Future We Want” was a joint organization for the APA (Portuguese Aquaculture Association) that, for the first time, involved all Collaborative Laboratories linked to the blue economy, namely +ATLANTIC, B2E CoLAB, GreenColab, S2Aqua, and the Ocean Forum.

About the APA

The APA – Portuguese Aquaculture Association – represents 90 percent of the Portuguese aquaculture sector.

About +ATLANTIC

The +ATLANTIC CoLAB is a Portuguese non-profit Collaborative Laboratory that designs and provides knowledge-based products and services related to various fields of the blue economy, ocean sustainability, marine sciences, marine ecosystem health, climate change, ocean literacy, and science communication. Its multidisciplinary team uses numerical modeling, remote sensing, data science, artificial intelligence, and space and ocean technologies to design these products and services and to collaborate on national and international projects.

About B2E CoLAB

B2E – Collaborative Laboratory

The Environmental Impact Assessment for the Blue Bioeconomy, based at UPTEC Mar in Matosinhos, is a private, non-profit association of universities, research centers, and private companies, guided by the principles of circularity, sustainability, and social responsibility. The association, linked to Blue Biotechnology, operates in the areas of sustainable aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and the valorization of living marine resources, aiming to develop innovative solutions that contribute to building a greener and more resilient value-added economy.

About the Ocean Forum

The Ocean Forum is the managing entity of the Portuguese Sea Cluster, certified and recognized by the Ministry of Economy and the Sea.

It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and enhance the ocean economy in Portugal, supporting the sustainable development of the maritime sector in Portugal, promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and cooperation among entities in the sector. To this end, it develops various initiatives and projects aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of companies and institutions operating in the ocean economy. About GreenCoLab

GreenCoLab is a private, non-profit organization, a collaborative platform between research and industry, whose research and innovation agenda is based on the exploration of micro and macroalgae as an essential component for the food, feed, nutraceutical, bioenergy, wastewater, and cosmetics industries.

About S2Aqua

S2AQUAcoLAB, founded in 2021, is a private, non-profit institution that seeks to take Aquaculture to a new level. With a network of 16 partners and 49 qualified researchers, it aims to promote sustainable, intelligent, and innovative solutions for the sector. Its main objectives include optimizing production, identifying bioindicators of health, adapting production systems to climate change, and driving technological development. S2AQUAcoLAB is also dedicated to knowledge transfer and strategic cooperation with its partners to transform Aquaculture into a stronger and more capable industry.